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If Apple.com is up for flattening, please make it look like this

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2014

Milano, Italy-based user interface designer Sebastiano Guerriero has envisioned this great looking full-on Apple.com redesign which has left me speechless this morning.

I'm especially digging the uniformity, focus on large images with less text and single-colored buttons that much resemble the design language of iOS 7.

But what's really floored me is his awesomely flattened navigation bar at the top. I know Apple has removed some of the shine and depth to it over the years.

But - but - Guerriero's version is so much better! I'm not exaggerating, his mockup is an eye-candy and puts Apple's current website design to shame, hands down. But don't take my word for it, jump past the fold and have a look yourself...

Black Sabbath’s early albums finally selling on iTunes with limited exclusivity

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

iTunes has scored another interesting win as the English rock band Black Sabbath and its publisher have finally relented and agreed to make the band's 1970s albums available on iTunes.

Although Black Sabbath's later material was available on Apple's online content store, this is the first time their 1970s work came to iTunes, including Paranoid and Masters of Reality albums.

Apple was also able to secure limited exclusivity as iTunes will get to sell the band's first eight studio albums, along with three compilations, during a short window of time before the albums hit other streaming services...

Tim Cook goes on television to hype ‘watershed’ iPhone deal with China Mobile

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2014

Adamant to tell the world about his company's landmark iPhone deal with the world's top carrier, China Mobile, Apple CEO Tim Cook did a rare move Wednesday by sitting down with CNBC to talk the specifics of the agreement in a high-profile television appearance.

Even better, Cook shared the spotlight with China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua, who revealed that the carrier had netted 1.2 million total preorders for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c as of January 13, ahead of the impending launch this coming Friday. That's 60,000 iPhones per day on average since December 25, 2013.

Your video follows right after the jump...

Tim Cook ‘incredibly optimistic’ about China Mobile deal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 22, 2017

Hot on the heels of a report claiming that Apple had shipped 1.4 million iPhone 5s units to China Mobile for its big launch this Friday comes word from the carrier's Chairman Xi Guohua that the total number of iPhone orders is in the 'multi-millions.'

After years of negotiations, Apple finally inked a deal with China Mobile last month and is set to begin offering iPhones through the provider this weekend for the first time ever. But according to Tim Cook, this is just the beginning of things to come...

The best Winterboard themes for iOS 7

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

The recent release of a Winterboard update with 64-bit compatibility marks a convenient time to reflect on some of the best themes for iOS 7 devices to date. It's important to keep in mind that a number of popular themes from iOS 6 have yet to be updated, although it is safe to assume that many designers will release new versions in the ensuing weeks and months. So, without further ado, take a look ahead for some of the best Winterboard themes for iOS 7 available on Cydia or elsewhere right now…

SwipeSelection Pro: one of the best jailbreak tweaks of all time just got better

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

SwipeSelection is one of those tweaks that everyone can benefit from, and for that reason, it's one of my top 5 jailbreak tweaks of all time. Seriously, I'm not using hyperbole here; SwipeSelection is incredible.

Everyone can benefit from SwipeSelection's extremely improved cursor management when compared to stock iOS. I apologize in advance to Kyle Howells, developer of SwipeSelection, but this is one of those tweaks that I wish Apple would straight-up steal; it's just that good.

Kyle has updated the original SwipeSelection for iOS 7, a free download on Cydia's BigBoss repo, but he has also blessed us with a new and improved Pro version, and he's rightfully charging $1.99 for the release. The Pro version includes cool new features like disable-in-app, swipe sensitivity, cursor speed, and more. Plus, it gives us all the opportunity to reward the developer for such an awesome and innovative jailbreak tweak.

We've put together a full video walkthrough of SwipeSelection Pro. Have a look inside to see it in action.

Horizon cures vertical video syndrome

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

By now, most people have heard of the terrible affliction that affects mobile camera phone video subjects and viewers. While the majority of iPhone users have learned of this widespread disease and have successfully broken the Vertical Video Syndrome (VVS) cycle in their lives, not everyone is so lucky.

Horizon is a video app that makes it impossible for you to record vertical videos, even if you are holding your iPhone in portrait mode. So, your loved one who just can’t seem to understand what the big deal is will stop sending you those clips of kittens with ugly black bars on either side.

iTouchSecure: an amazing Touch ID security app for autofilling passwords

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

After a few days of intense testing, I can now recommend iTouchSecure for iOS. iTouchSecure is a recently released jailbreak tweak that allows you to autofill every password in any app using Touch ID. It's what we all imagined Touch ID evolving into after Apple had some time to perfect the technology. But you don't have to wait for the evolution. All you need is a jailbroken iPhone 5s and 5 bucks.

iTouchSecure is one of those jailbreak tweaks that convinces people on the fence that they need to jailbreak. It can speed up your workflow when using apps that require you to enter a password, and it's about as secure as one could hope a tweak like this to be.

The iPhone 5s' Touch ID sensor is pretty remarkable in itself, but when combined with a tweak like iTouchSecure, it goes from remarkable to downright amazing. We've got a full video walkthrough showcasing iTouchSecure's features inside. Have a look and see why this must have jailbreak tweak should be installed on your iPhone 5s.

Some theories on why Apple didn’t buy Nest…

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Google's acquisition of the smart thermostat and smoke detector maker Nest Labs, which came out of the blue yesterday, has certainly set tongues wagging. And when you think of it, the shock and awe didn't stem from the business side of things - it came from buying users of a lovable service in a non-physical space, but whose relationship with the service is part physical.

And to think it all began like a fairy-tale...

Here's a cutesy little startup led by Tony Fadell, a former Apple engineer who used to lead the iPod's development over seventeen generations before leaving Cupertino amid feud with design guru Jony Ive and iPhone software head Scott Forstall to co-found Nest Labs, along with fellow Apple staffer Matt Rogers.

"Starting a business focused on the lowly thermostat seemed like a crazy idea at the time," Fadell wrote yesterday in a blog post. Turned out a lot of people fell in love with his smart thermostat. Just as Nest was about to complete another round of funding, Google swept in and bought the company outright for $3.2 billion in cash.

Sources claim Google was the only serious bidder and Apple was not in the mix. Heck, the iPhone maker didn't even bother to put up a fight. But why? Here are some of the more popular theories floating around (feel free to add your own in the comments)...

VirnetX files motion to add Apple’s newest products to latest infringement suit

Cody Lee ∙ January 14, 2014

VirnetX announced today that it will attempt to add Apple's most recent slate of products—including the iPhone 5s and iPad Air—to its ongoing patent infringement suit against the company. It filed the motion this morning in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

For those unfamiliar with VirnetX, it's a well-known patent holding firm that won in upwards of $400 million in damages from Apple in a case involving the FaceTime feature last year. Apple has since changed the feature to avoid further infringement, but apparently not enough...

New ‘Umoove Experience’ game utilizes eye, face-tracking tech

Cody Lee ∙ January 14, 2014

A new game is out this week that's causing quite a bit of commotion in the tech world. It's called 'Umoove Experience,' and it follows a main character as he flies around various villages collecting bottles of purple magic potion to score points.

But the real reason everyone is talking about this game is because of its control scheme. You see, it utilizes Umoove's eye-tracking technology, meaning instead of using touch or motion to control you character, you simply tilt/move your head...

‘Moment’ lenses launch on Kickstarter, promise pro iPhone photography experience

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 14, 2014

Moment, a new clip-on camera lens attachment for the iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices, has launched on Kickstarter, with a pair of lenses selling for $50 a pop each. Much like Olloclip, the Moment's multi-element lens design promises to take your iPhone photography to the next level.

How?

By allowing for low-distortion imaging and minimal chromatic aberration, with easily swappable lenses coming in handy when you need to quickly switch from shooting a wide scene to capturing detailed closeups. And they certainly look beautiful...